Sudan: Dafur

Sudan: Dafur

Sudan: Dafur

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The current African Union (AU) mandate requires it to carry out proactive monitoring and allows it to protect civilians in the immediate vicinity under imminent threat of attack. The AU and the United Nations Department for Peace Keeping Operations, together with representatives from the European Union, US, Canada and the UK, have recently returned from a two-week assessment mission to Darfur, Khartoum and Addis, to consider the work being undertaken by the AU mission, and what further support could be offered. Our expectation is that the assessment mission will recommend that the first priority be to get the current monitoring mission (of up to 3,320 personnel) deployed and fully operational as soon as possible.
	As the next stage, the mission's view is that the AU will need more troops on the ground, and they have suggested a figure of 5,887. It is for the African Union's Peace and Security Council to decide how to take these recommendations forward. We have made clear our willingness to support the AU, should they decide that an expanded mission was required. We have already provided significant financial and technical assistance to the AU.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The available information for England and Wales is given in the tables below and shows the widespread use of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) in all regions. However, ASBOs are just one tool available for tackling anti-social behaviour and local agencies are encouraged to use them alongside other interventions such as injunctions, warning letters and acceptable behaviour contracts.
	Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for, respectively, the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Office.
	
		Table A: Number of anti-social behaviour orders issued, as reported to the Home Office, at all courts, by Government Office Region (GOR) and type of court, from 1 April 1999 to 30 September 2004
		
			 CJS area Magistrates' courts The Crown court County courts Total 
			 North-east GOR 160 6 - 166 
			 Cleveland 40 - - 40 
			 Durham 52 1 - 53 
			 Northumbria 68 5 - 73 
			 North-west GOR 893 95 8 996 
			 Cheshire 73 3 - 76 
			 Cumbria 45 3 - 48 
			 Greater Manchester 532 70 6 608 
			 Lancashire 131 15 - 146 
			 Merseyside 112 4 2 118 
			 Yorkshire & the Humber GOR 483 13 3 499 
			 Humberside 62 1 - 63 
			 North Yorkshire 31 3 - 34 
			 South Yorkshire 99 1 3 103 
			 West Yorkshire 291 - - 299 
			 East Midlands GOR 160 29 1 190 
			 Derbyshire 39 8 - 47 
			 Leicestershire 14 6 1 21 
			 Lincolnshire 11 4 - 15 
			 Northamptonshire 29 2 - 31 
			 Nottinghamshire 67 9 - 76 
			 West Midlands GOR 509 18 6 533 
			 Staffordshire 72 5 2 79 
			 Warwickshire 44 1 1 46 
			 West Mercia 137 - - 137 
			 West Midlands 256 12 3 271 
			 East GOR 291 22 3 316 
			 Bedfordshire 26 5 - 31 
			 Cambridgeshire 42 3 - 45 
			 Essex 40 1 1 42 
			 Hertfordshire 57 5 - 62 
			 Norfolk 54 4 - 58 
			 Suffolk 72 4 2 78 
			 London GOR 343 17 4 364 
			 Greater London(1) 343 17 4 364 
			 South East GOR 349 21 - 377 
			 Hampshire 79 9 - 92 
			 Kent 77 3 - 80 
			 Surrey 30 - - 30 
			 Sussex 98 7 - 106 
			 Thames Valley 65 - 2 69 
			 South West GOR 192 48 1 241 
			 Avon & Somerset 92 14 1 107 
			 Devon & Cornwall 40 30 - 70 
			 Dorset 28 - - 28 
			 Gloucestershire 20 3 - 23 
			 Wiltshire 12 1 - 13 
			 England 3,380 269 33 3,682 
			 Wales 136 5 3 144 
			 Dyfed Powys 18 - - 18 
			 Gwent 22 - 2 24 
			 North Wales 33 3 - 36 
			 South Wales 63 2 1 66 
			 England & Wales 3,516 274 36 3,826 
		
	
	1 Metropolitan Police and City of London.
	
		Table B: Number of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, breached and where breach resulted in a custodial sentence, as reported to the Home Office, by Government Office Region (GOR), 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 1 
		
			 CJS area ASBOs issued ASBOs breached Custodial sentencegiven for breach of an ASBO 2 
			 North-east GOR 107 58 27 
			 Cleveland 26 17 4 
			 Durham 34 26 16 
			 Northumbria 47 15 7 
			 North-west GOR 529 229 137 
			 Cheshire 43 15 10 
			 Cumbria 30 17 12 
			 Greater   Manchester 317 138 88 
			 Lancashire 68 37 17 
			 Merseyside 71 22 10 
			 Yorkshire & the   Humber GOR 200 91 47 
			 Humberside 23 10 6 
			 North Yorkshire 15 8 3 
			 South Yorkshire 52 24 15 
			 West Yorkshire 110 49 23 
			 East Midlands   GOR 81 34 16 
			 Derbyshire 20 11 6 
			 Leicestershire 10 4 1 
			 Lincolnshire 8 5 1 
			 Northamptonshire 11 1 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 32 13 7 
			 West Midlands   GOR 338 158 92 
			 Staffordshire 46 15 8 
			 Warwickshire 29 14 3 
			 West Mercia 100 48 28 
			 West Midlands 163 81 53 
			 East GOR 145 51 23 
			 Bedfordshire 22 12 6 
			 Cambridgeshire 19 8 3 
			 Essex 15 2 2 
			 Hertfordshire 31 9 6 
			 Norfolk 25 11 1 
			 Suffolk 33 9 5 
			 London GOR 146 46 31 
			 Greater   London 3 146 46 31 
			 South East GOR 177 57 24 
			 Hampshire 44 20 12 
			 Kent 51 7 1 
			 Surrey 10 4 2 
			 Sussex 46 18 6 
			 Thames Valley 26 8 3 
			 South West   GOR 92 35 20 
			 Avon &   Somerset 47 17 8 
			 Devon &   Cornwall 20 8 6 
			 Dorset 8 2 1 
			 Gloucestershire 10 5 3 
			 Wiltshire 7 3 2 
			 England 1,815 759 417 
			 Wales 77 34 20 
			 Dyfed Powys 11 5 4 
			 Gwent 10 5 3 
			 North Wales 20 11 4 
			 South Wales 36 13 9 
			 Total England   and Wales 1,892 793 437 
		
	
	1 Breaches are counted in this table on a persons basis, i.e. multiple breaches (occurring at the same time), or where the order has been breached on more than one occasion, are all counted as one breach. The breach resulting in the severest penalty for a person is used.
	2 Excluding two persons given a fully suspended sentence and eight cases where a sentence of one day in police cells was given.
	3 Metropolitan Police and City of London.

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidance they provide to the most vulnerable claimants under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to seek independent legal advice.
	Whether they advise vulnerable claimants under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to contact the Royal British Legion for independent legal advice.

Lord Bach: I refer the noble Lord to the Answers I gave to the noble Lord Morris of Manchester on 22 March 2005 (Official Report, cols. WA 20–21).

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government recognise that jurors who give up their time to do an important civic duty, are more likely to suffer personal and financial hardship during trials that last a long time. The Jubilee Line fraud case highlighted the need for this issue to be addressed sooner rather than later. Therefore on 15 November 2004, a new non-retrospective maximum reimbursement for financial loss of £200 per day was introduced from the 201st day of jury service. This would now apply to all future trials, should they last that long.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The national accounts are drawn up by the independent ONS. They are based on the definitions in the European System of Accounts (ESA 95), which are determined by Eurostat. Interpretation of these standards is a matter for the ONS. Changes in these standards are a matter for these, and other international statistical agencies.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The regulations are due to come into force on 4 April, the 22 day after the date the regulations were laid before Parliament (14 March). There are two public holidays during this period. Excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays there are 13 days between the date the regulations were laid before Parliament and the date on which they are due to come into force, including the date of laying but not the date they come into force.